Device for submarine sounding from vessels under way



May 18 1926.

F, P. MAGOUN DEVICE FOR SUBMARINE SOUNDING FROM VESSELS UNDER WAY Filed March 28, 1924 was] @Zfifoun i? a 72815 Patented May 18, 192%.

Uftifllh FRANCIS PEABODY MAGOUN, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

DEVICE FOR SUBMARINE SOUILQ'DING FROI/I VESSELS UNDER WAY.

Application filed March 28, 1924. Serial No. 702,584.

This invention relates to devices for marine sounding, and particularly to devices capable of enabling depths reliably to be ascertained from a. swiftly moving vessel.

The development of navigation tends to higher and higher speeds, until the industrial and naval urgency to shorten times of voyages has now reached a point at which ships masters or navigating ofiicers hesitate to permit reduction of speed for any purpose, even the precautionary purpose of checking navigation calculations by sound ing observations on approaching land. Such precautions,heretofore a connnonplace of careful navigation, are therefore too often neglected. This results from lack of any reliable way to make accurate and frequent soundings without slowing speed.

As speeds exceeding very slow speeds the old device of the measured lead-line or plinnmet dropped overboard presents indications vitiated by the effect of relative motion between the water and the weighted cord or wire. This long since led to replacement of reliance on the measuring line by reliance on recording depth-gauges comprising 1naXimum-pressure indicators, of any of several familiar types, sunk with the sounding weight; but at any speeds up pro-aching the regular cruising speeds of transoceanic liners or the capital ships, cruisers or destroyers of a navy, it has been found impossible to ascertain whether or not the sounding-weight has actually reached bottom, and the very observations relied upon for safety have been found too often to be charabterized by misleading and gross error.

Objects of this invention are accordingly to provide for reliable sounding at high speeds by the maximum-pressure indicator method, and to provide for this purpose apparatus adapted to carry a depth-indicator swiftly and certainly to the bottom, thus to enable soundings to be taken at frequent intervals without slowing the speed of the vessel. Further objects are to utilize the motion of the vessel relatively to the water to secure sinking to contact with the sub marine bottom of asoundingv device, and to provide for the immediate levitation and emergence of the sounding devices after a depth indication shall have been recorded. The invention will now be explained in connection with drawings showing a particular preferred form only of devices corresponding to the invention. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation illustrating generally the relative positions of a vessel and a submerging device, depth gauge, and towline, during subi'nergence.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the devices of B 1g. 1;

-Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the submerging device; and

Fig. l is a side elevation of the submerging ucvice, showing the position of the parts after contact with the bottom and during return to the surface.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and L, a stern quarter of the deck of a vessel equipped with the devices, as indicated at 1, may have mounted upon it a *apstan 2, under control of a motor 3, for paying out a line 4. Fastened near the extremity of line ais an indicating or recording pressure-gauge apparatus 5, of whatever type may be desirable,

and a submerging kite 20, adapted to direct the entire system downward or upward through the water as a consequence of the motion of the vessel.

The line 4, which is chosen for high tensile strength and low lateral resistance, may be suitably guided, for example, by the sheave 6 on an overhanging spar. A springtempered steel wire or wire cable is suitable for this purpose.

The sounding appliances proper may comprise a yoke 9, a suitably swiveled shackle S and flexible chain 10 firmly anchored to line f; and a connector 1- chain 1:2 and swivels 13 for the perforated depthgauge casing 5, in which, not shown, is a suitable tubular gauge of any desired type adapted to show for example by the displacement of an indicator element, the maximum hydraulic pressure to which the device has been subjected.

The yoke 9 is provided with a shackle and chain 16 for connection by a swivel 17 to the bridle 18 of kite 20. The kite 20 serves to direct downwardly the free end of the line d and carry with it the depth-gauge 5. To accomplish this end, the kite 20 is adapted to steer itself and the load controlled by it downward and forward in response to the relative motion of the vessel 1 and the water. A preferred form of the kite 20 is illustrated in detail in Figs. 2, 3 and 4;, comprising water-vanes or planes, preferably made joined to ether as two separ; te

tudinal ll, r. i ceive at a point l: 22 a free pivota lt f. The point a lished by ed pin enlarged a slianlin a slot :1? l'criucd loapgitudin: ol' the nu-inbers i l, and havin duccd por 1 passed through a hole in one end of t .0 hridle lei. its so cmistructed the pins lzlll Y slide throu 'h the length of the slot but the pivotal point of the bridle head ill of ea 1 18 is innrniallx ma ntained in the positioi shown in Fig. 1 b engagement with the interned notched en of a detector hail 30 which, as best siown in Figs. 2, 3 and may comprise t l ent U-shaped piece of metal preferably of the stream-line section indicated at 31. Fig. *i, and having pivot bosses 2-12, Jig. 2, bored for shouldered pivot. screws taking into the forward ends of the frames the legs of the U- shaped bail detector lever 550 being lent lnickwards at 3- and turned in to provide the notched ends 28. Lhe arrangement is such as to permit the enlarged heads 26 of the pivot screws 25 to pass the end: of the indicator bail. Normally the bail 3t; in the positionshown in 1, and in that position serves to hold the pivot pins 25 in coincidence with the point 24:, in the can ward ends of the respective slots 27.

The kite 20 may be constructed anc adapted to ope ate according to the principles described in connection vith the device for towing a submerged torpedo forming the subject of my letters Patent No. 1,395,921, dated November 1, 1921, otherwise than as herein described. For example, the cells 21, 22 may be open tubes or boxes, having. surfaces lying pa 'allel to the longitudinal direction of the frame members The forward cell 22 is nearer the point 2% than the 'ear cell 21. Preferably, but not essentially, the forward cell 22 is larger in one ,unension than the rear cell 21, and as shown, the lower parts of the surfaces 21,

22 are cylindrical, but the lower surface of cell 22 is displaced further from its upper element 36 than the lower surface of cell 21 is displaced from its corresponding upper element. The arrangement is such that the members 21, 22 tend to rotate clock vise as shown in Fig. 1 about the point 24 as a center so that the cell 21 tends to rise and the cell 22 to move downwardly from the position shown. This is preferabl accomplished bv provieing the forward cell 22 with a weight which may be of streamline section as shown in F 4-. The

b ,t rear cell of the k te may be provided with a vertical. vane 3 to assist its directive power.

A kite CULZTGSUOlNllHD' to the described q 'istics of the kite 20 will upon becharactc via .1 s1 i, mg tilt/i Jed (MLI Jnfllt, so ong as int n lb is applied to it at about the trans ll, tend pov axis illustrated by the points fully to conduct the Whole 5), 5, etc, downwardly and to sport to the direction of moth vessel. The rate an d a1 a i r i scent will epend upon the re" opcrat lull in carryiling frozii effect of the weight 3?", l). of the device a: a whole wi ing the towhne to a steep a the vertical through its pointof attachment to the carrying vessel at an angle of the order of 1-5 in the preferred a taienr. The swing of the free end of the towline and sounding dc'ices downwa'dlv begins instantancousl upon dropping the device overboard: it will be uinlerstood that in I the lies-a ts 2(3 of the bridle attaching pins whereupon the relative stress induces the s 2:") to pass to the forward 0 s of ti 27, from which points the surfaces s 21, now trail, the parts coming; to he position indicated in Fig. l. in this endition, the kite 20 is a mere drag: on

ie l, and there is nothing about the levia-c counteract the tendency of the whole stem 20, 18, 9, 5, etc., to rise as a resultant of the forces acting upon the drac at free end of the towline After the bail 30 has struck bottom and been unlocked the whole sounding device will therefore rapidly l'hli to and out of the surface of the water, and may be hauled in by motor and caps-tan :3. The gauge in the :asing is then read, the bail 3U reset. and another sounding may l e inunadiately taken. The gauge in casing I; may he graduated to read to depths in fathoins or feet, or a table may be relied upon to convert the pressures actually measured into measures of depth.

The bottom-detecting and releasing bail ll) may thus be relied upon on contact, to cause lcvitation of the kite 20 and indicator casing 5 wnen these parts have approached to that predetermined distance from the bottom measured by the dimensions of the parts:

vhen related shown in Fig. 1.

It will be observed that the kit 20 constitutes means adapted to submerge a towline and a depth indicator carried thereby as a consequence of the motion of the vessel, the submereine' means being capable on contact of one of its parts with the submarine bot tom to cease to be effective to cau subie if merging means ineffective, or enabling it then to levitate the depth indicator.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A submarine kite for sounding comprising a rigid frame anclwater-vanes on opposite sides of a transverse axis of said frame, a towing attachment connected to said frame and normally freely pivoting relatively to the frame about said axis, and means tending to cause said vanes to swing about said pivotal connection and thereby to assume an angle to the direction of towing stress suitable for downward propulsion of said kite, in combination with means adapted to be displaced by contact with an obstruction for shifting the point of connection be tween saidkite and said towing attachment.

2. A submarine kite for sounding comprising a rigid frame, spaced open ended cells secured respectively to the front and rear ends of the frame, a towing attachment, pivot means for connecting the towing attachment to the frame, the pivot means normally being disposed in a rearward position at a point-intermediate the cells but adjacent to the forward cell, the pivot means being movable to a position adjacent to the front end of the frame, a latch normally retaining the pivot means in its rearward position, and a contact element engageable with a submarine bottom for releasing the latch.

3. In a submarine kite, water-vanes, a frame rigid with said vanes, said frame having longitudinal slots therein, a, towing attachment having a part adapted to slide in said slots, and means for normally confining said part to one position in said slots and adapted to release said part.

4. In a submarine kite, water-vanes, a frame rigid with said vanes, said frame having longitudinal slots therein, a towing at tachment having a part adapted to slide in said slots, and a pivoted lever for normally confining said part to one position in said slots and adapted to release said part on displacement.

5. A sounding device having therein a submarine kite comprising a frame, separate cells, and a towing attachment having a sliding and pivoted connection to said frame adapted to assume a position rendering the kite ineffective except as a drag under towing stress, in combination with a contact detector lever on said frame adapted in one position to lock said connection in a position rendering the kite effective to cause submergence when towed.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this twenty-fifth day of March 1924.

FRANCIS PEABODY MAGOUN. 

